64 ANNUAL RECORD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



knowledged by him, that we have no assurance of the cor- 

 rectness of any of the reasons that have been urged in favor 

 of the latter method, and these same objections hold good, 

 though to a less extent, in reference to the method of devia- 

 tions. On the other hand, it would seem that, in Jelinek's 

 opinion, the strongest argument in favor of the introduction 

 of the method of reduction to sea-level consists in securing 

 thereby a uniform method in meteorology a uniformity that 

 seems to him so extremely valuable that other considerations 

 must sometimes be made to stand aside. As to the details 

 of the application of this method, he agrees with Wild in 

 perhaps every thing except that he would prefer the Laplace 

 tables to those of Ruhlmann, although the latter attempts to 

 secure a higher degree of theoretical accuracy. He therefore 

 urges its exclusive application in all telegraphic weather re- 

 ports. 



From Jelinek's communication, as well as that of Wild, it 

 is evident, however, that the needs of European stations are 

 far different from those on this side of the Atlantic. He 

 states, in fact, that elevated stations will never furnish data 

 that can be comparable with that given by the stations near 

 the level of the sea. They must, therefore, not be applied in 

 making use of telegraphic weather reports, as is also the case 

 with those stations that are situated in localities subject to 

 peculiar anomalies of temperature. When, however, it is 

 necessary to use these observations because there are none at 

 hand from stations situated at a lower altitude, then the data 

 in question must be made use of in a method quite different 

 from that employed for the coast stations; namely, only as 

 indicating the changes going on in the middle layers of the 

 atmosphere. 



THE INFLUENCE OF THE CONDITION OF THE EARTH'S SURFACE 

 ON THE PRECIPITATION OF RAIN, HAIL, ETC. ' 



The unusual character of the climate of the Russian domin- 

 ions, in the province of Caucasus, in the year 1 869, has incited 

 Abich to a very thorough study of the formation of hail, and 

 the general interdependence -between the aqueous precipita- 

 tion and the condition of the earth's surface. His memoir is 

 published in the first volume of the "Materials for the Meteor- 

 ology of the Caucasus," edited by Moritz, director of the ob- 



